For Puneeth Rajkumar, last year’s lockdown meant an unexpected but meaningful opportunity to revisit his father, the late Dr Rajkumar’s classics. “It was a period of reconnecting with all of my favourite films of appaji…such joy in watching those movies and getting fresh perspectives. It was the biggest highlight of being at home, besides of course that I got to spend so much time with Ashwini and the kids,” shares Puneeth.

And while he cherished his moments with family, Puneeth confesses that he’s stoked to be back on the sets. Puneeth is currently busy with the filming of James, which marks his first collaboration with director Chethan Kumar of Bahaddur and Bharjari fame. He is next set to team up for yet another fresh collaboration, this time with Pawan Kumar of Lucia and U Turn fame. The duo will be teaming up with Dvitva, which is going to be a psychological thriller drama, which will also see him pair up once again with Trisha Krishnan, who he had worked with in Power.

And when he’s not acting, Puneeth loves to brainstorm with his team and back upcoming talent and provide them a bigger platform to showcase their work. “The idea is to constantly experiment with innovative genres. Sometimes we make mistakes, but that’s how we learn and up the game,” he observes.

And while he concedes that OTT has been a game changer, the actor points out that it can’t be the only medium to view cinema. “I understand these are challenging times. But movies are best experienced when you watch them on celluloid. With precautionary measures in place, I hope people feel secure to return to cinema halls once more,” ends Puneeth Rajkumar.